Market Voices: July Fed rate cut eyed, GLP-1s, Darden, Aflac, JPMorgan

Seeking Alpha’s daily roundup of remarks and statements that could impact markets, sectors or individual stocks.

• Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said Friday that the Fed could implement an interest rate cut as early as July, as increased tariffs don’t appear to be significantly boosting inflation.

“I think we’re in the position that we could do this as early as July,” Waller said during an interview with CNBC. “That would be my view, whether the committee would go along with it or not.”

• The American College of Cardiology is recommending that more obese patients take weight-loss drugs, such as Eli Lilly’s (NYSE:LLY) tirzepatide and Novo Nordisk’s (NVO) semaglutide, to help prevent cardiovascular events.

“Beyond improvement of CVD [cardiovascular disease] risk factors, third-generation obesity medications (NuSH therapies) have been shown to reduce adverse cardiovascular events among those with obesity and established atherosclerotic CVD and/or HFpEF,” the group said in a clinical guidance document on its journal website. “Obesity management by the cardiovascular community needs to be embraced, given both the prevalence of obesity and the impact it has on many forms of CVD.”

Tirzepatide and semaglutide belong to a class of drugs called GLP-1s that are used for diabetes control and weight loss.

• Alfac (NYSE:AFL) said suspicious activity identified on its U.S. network on June 12 may have compromised customer data.

“We continue to serve our customers as we respond to this incident and can underwrite policies, review claims, and otherwise service our customers as usual,” Aflac said in a statement.

“This attack, like many insurance companies are currently experiencing, was caused by a sophisticated cybercrime group. This was part of a cybercrime campaign against the insurance industry,” Aflac added.

• Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) CEO Rick Cardenas said the company is looking for strategic alternatives for its Bahama Breeze chain.

“After careful review, we’ve determined [the chain] is no longer a strategic priority and believe Bahama Breeze has the potential to benefit from a new owner,” Cardenas said on the company’s earnings call with analysts.

The restaurant operator released a better-than-expected fiscal fourth quarter earnings report Friday morning.

• JPMorgan (NYSE:JPM) is rolling out roll new tools for investors to research and buy bonds and certain CDs through its mobile app.

“Our goal was to create an experience that makes it extremely simple for clients that want to buy fixed income,” said Paul Vienick, head of online investing for the bank’s wealth management division, according to CNBC. “We’ve taken that exact thought process for the simplicity of [buying] stocks and ETFs and moved that into the fixed-income space.”